Emuge doubling W. Boylston headquarters

A rendering of Emuge's planned expansion to more than 40,000 square feet in West Boylston.

Emuge, a tool manufacturer, has begun a doubling of its West Boylston headquarters with a 22,000 square-foot expansion.

The office and manufacturing center is the North American base for its German parent company, which has more than 1,800 employees and makes drills, tool-holders, clamping devices and other rotary cutting tools.

Emuge, which has been in the United States for 35 years, began its expansion in September and is expected to complete the job by late 2019.

The company said its expansion comes as its aerospace and power generation customer base has expanded rapidly in the past few years. The additional capacity will allow the company manufacture certain tools domestically and provide customized milling products, said Bob Hellinger, the Emuge president.

Emuge last expanded its West Boylston headquarters in 2016, adding a new technology center where customers could test machining concepts and tools while working with company engineers.